Dreamers Chapter 107: Winter's Magic, a naruto fanfic

…

Author's Note: This is a Shikamaru and Temari chapter. If you do not want to read it, please feel free to skip it. Also, I hope that you guys like that I'm showing different types of intimacy between each couple. Of course, you're going to get at least one explicit sex scene for each couple. However, I like giving them a chance to build their relationships without sexual intimacy, especially when it doesn't make sense for the couple.

Personally, I thought a lot of the couples formed for Boruto were incomplete and nonsense. Like most fans, I wished one of our favorite authors took more time focusing on the other characters and their relationships. I think if he did, then come of the couples would make more sense and not feel as forced. I'd like to know what you think. Feel free to drop me a comment below, and I'll message you back!

Warnings:

Mentions of abuse, sexual, emotional trauma.

…

Chapter 107: Winter's Magic

Normal P.O.V.

November ended and December began anew. Now that the hustle and bustle of the aftermath of the war ended, they could properly prepare for another celebration: The Hidden Leaf's Winter Cherry Blossom Festival. All around the village, people creating the decorations and preparing for the upcoming festival that was a week away. Shikamaru Nara was plenty thankful for the easier and quieter atmosphere around the village. Most still suffered heavy hearts for their loved ones and the effects of the war. But Lady Tsunade did her best to convince the village that this celebration was needed to boost moral and end her term as Hokage. And, for once, she wasn't met with too much resistance. Until their current discussion in her office.

"Brat, Shikamaru, Kakashi, how are the decorations and plans coming for the festival? Remember, it's gotta be cheery, and big. We want our villagers to know that even though they lost their loved ones, there is still life to be celebrated!" She cheered as she pumped her fist into the air.

"Usually when she's this happy, she's had a few cups of sake and about to lose a bet." Naruto snickered after whispering in Shikamaru's ear.

The deer rolled his eyes as he watched the blond fox duck to avoid a pen thrown at his head. "I heard that, ya brat."

"Lady Tsunade, if I may." Kakashi spoke, gaining everyone's attention. "Although I appreciate and respect your intentions behind this festival, don't you think we should take a more moderate approach?"

"What are you trying to say, Kakashi? Are my ideas too much for you to handle?" She glared with her arms crossed.

"No. No. Not at all. I'm sure all of the villagers would appreciate your intentions. All I'm saying is that we should possibly looking at taking a more… delicate approach."

"Basically, what Kakashi-sensei is saying is that you're doing entirely too much for your "End of Hokage Term" party." Naruto said.

"Oh yeah? So, you mean to tell me that y'all think that having balloons in the shape of the nine Tailed-Beasts, elemental chakra masters for entertainment, several live bands playing throughout the village as people walk through the streets, all the alcohol you can drink, gambling games with large pay outs, every participating clan participating in a cook off and an eat off, and ending the night with an hour long firework performance is too much for the people of the Hidden Leaf?"

The three men looked between themselves before answering, "Yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt."

Tsunade swore she felt a vein burst as she sighed and plopped in her office chair. "Well, I guess when you say it out loud, it does seem a bit much. It's just that, with everything that happened, I can feel the pain and suffering of the villagers within my old bones, and it frightens me. I am, or soon to be retired Hokage, and I felt that I haven't done enough for the village. Every day while Sasuke, you two, the other Kages, and other shinobi were treated at our hospital, I pushed myself to the brink. I did everything in my capabilities to make sure that we would not take too many casualties. But instead, we had to rely on Sakura, Sasuke, and you two to save us all. That's way more than I can say for myself."

"Don't talk like that, granny. You know that's not true."

"Naruto's right. You have done more than what you give yourself credit for. Team Seven may have won the war for us, but everyone participated. Thanks to Sakura and you, most of us were healed during the battle. And from what I understand about your seal, you put yourself at risk just to protect those around you. Not only that, but immediately after the war was over and we had to carry our comrades back for emergency care, you were there at the head. You worked with Sakura to effectively care for and manage your patient's care. All while still running the village and continuing with Naruto's and Kakashi-sensei's training. Lady Tsunade, you are far from useless." Shikamaru said as he stood tall.

His words put a genuine smile on the Slug Queen's face. "Thank you, Shika. You're the best advisor a Hokage could ask for. I know you'll do well serving under these two knuckleheads."

"Hey! That's not cool. And here I was gonna pay you a compliment because you're the second Hokage to retire!" Naruto pouted.

"Actually, technically she's the forth. Her grandfather, Lord First, was the first. He passed it on to Lord Second, Tobirama. However, there is a story that during the First Shinobi World War, Lord Tobirama, and his team with Lord Third were surrounded by the enemy and left for dead. Technically, Lord Second was still the Hokage, but because he protected the young Lord Third by taking his place, he passed the Hokage title on before his death. And then you already know about Lord Third. After his original term as Hokage, he passed it onto your father, Naruto. But, after Minato-sensei and Lady Kushina were killed in the Nine-Tails attack, Lord Third came out of retirement before his untimely death against Orochimaru." Kakashi explained.

"Wow! I didn't know all of that. I mean, I knew for sure about the First Hokage and Old Man Third, but I never knew about the Second Hokage." Naruto said.

"Not many people do. It's a story that was lost in our history. Only people that were a part of the war, and close to Lord Second and Lord Third knew about it." Kakashi replied.

"Well, either way, I think we can all agree that it's better to have another Hokage retire by choice than by death." Shikamaru chuckled.

"I agree. It'll be nice to return to what I was doing before I took on the title. After Kakashi officially takes over, I will be working with Sakura to further our medical research and continue to manage the hospital. However, I plan to take a step back to support Sakura. She won't advance if I'm there to lead or hold her hand the whole time, right Kakashi?" She smirked.

"Quite. It's always a sad day when we have to let our kids grow without us." The silver wolf pretended to cry.
"Stop being so dramatic." Naruto teased as he folded his arms.

"I think we should get back to the task at hand. We still have a week to finalize the festivities' details. I think we should dial back some of the décor. But don't worry, we'll still give you a great send off, Lady Tsunade." Shikamaru smirked as he redirected their meeting.

…

It was around five in the evening, but the sun had already set. Tsunade dismissed them for the evening, but Shikamaru wasn't ready to go home. Instead, he went to the basement of the Hokage tower and entered the Teleportation Room. Although he could go home, sleep, and be as lazy as he wanted to, he thought that a quick visit to a certain weasel would be more interesting. So, after he put in the coordinates, stepped onto the center pad, and added his chakra, Shikamaru was on his way to Suna.

…

"Welcome back, Shikamaru Nara." The guards greeted as he arrived at Suna's Teleportation Room.

The deer man nodded as he walked out of the room and went to find Temari. Typically, there were a few places he could find his blond weasel, but today she seemed to be better hidden.

"Yo Shikamaru! What's up bro-in-law!" Kankuro smiled and waved.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing much. Gaara and Temari are currently working on a new communication device for the Allied Nations. That's where they've been the last week. If I didn't know that I wouldn't know where to look either. C'mon, I'll take you to them."

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders as he put his hands in his pockets and followed Kankuro down the hallway. There was a comfortable silence between them. And usually, he wouldn't disturb it but hearing about new technology development intrigued him.

"So, what are they working on?"

"Ya knows how every country has a Teleportation Room in the Kage's office. Well, they started to wonder if there was another way to communicate without physically being there. I know what you're thinking, "If I can just teleport, why do we need another form of communication?". And I agreed before they explained it to me. If you think about it, using the Teleportation Room can take a lot of chakras depending on the distance. And it doesn't help that not everyone can use it. But when someone does use it, they have to wait until the jutsu at their destination is not in use. It can be too much, and not everyone can suddenly leave or travel in a large group.

So, they got to thinkin' and creatin' this thing that will allow of the Allied Nations to communicate easier. I'm not quite sure how it works, or too much about it. They'll explain it to you when we get there though." Immediately after, they arrived at a restricted door. "Here we are." Shikamaru watched as the crow added his chakra to a seal before the door opened. "After you."

The deer walked through the threshold first and was amazed at what he saw. The room was well lit but covered in various electronic devices, blueprints, documents, and parts. Temari, Gaara, and other shinobi surrounded a table in the center as they worked. Luckily, it didn't take long for them to notice the visitors.

"Oh Shikamaru? What are you doing here?" She smiled as she turned to face the two males. But when she saw her brother, Temari's green eyes narrowed and she folder her arms. "And what have I told you about being in here."

"What do you have against me being in here?" Kankuro squawked.

"Because the last time you were in here, you broke our prototype into twenty pieces. It set us behind another week, and now we aren't sure we even found all the pieces." Gaara chuckled as he stood beside his sister.

"Hey! I said I was sorry! And I helped you find most of them!" The crow whined.

Temari shook her head before giving Shika a peck on his lips. "So, did you actually need to visit us, or did you miss me?"

"I'm just here for a visit. Lady Tsunade, Naruto, Kakashi, and I are finalizing some of the details for our Winter Cherry Blossom Festival. She hopes that this will cheer up the villagers, boost morale, and a great way to end her term and welcome Kakashi as the new Hokage." He explained.

"Wait?! I thought Naruto was training to be the next Hokage?" Kankuro gasped.

"That's how it was supposed to work. However, we weren't expecting that Naruto and Sasuke would receive new god-like powers. Unfortunately, because of the new development, we had to adjust our plans. Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya want to spend at least a year evaluating and observing their new skills and their effects. Even though we know that neither are dangerous, we still want to give them time to adjust and settle before Naruto takes his new title. But I also think that Lady Tsunade wants to give Naruto more time to train and mature." Shikamaru explained.

"Hm. It wouldn't hurt. But we can at least admit that he's grown up more than that knucklehead boy." Temari smirked.

"I think he'll make a great Hokage no matter what. He has this power to change people's lives and opinions. He saved me from myself and showed me that I was more than the monster inside of me. He pushed me to become the next Kazekage. From there, I improved our village's life quality and those around me. And now, I can't see myself being or doing anything else. It's also nice to know that, even though I lost ShuKaku in the war, I can still control my sand. It's definitely come in handy these past few months." Gaara smiled fondly.

"Yeah, he's definitely something. But I can already feel the headaches coming. Especially with Sasuke being back in the village." Shika sighed.

"Hn. So, I distinctly remember you saying something about a winter festival? Care to divulge?" Temari said.

"Oh yeah, that. It's supposed to happen in a week. That is if we can finally agree on a central theme. But none the less, I wanted to extend an invitation on behave of the Hokage and her future successors. I'm sure it'll be a great first for you guys, right?"

"Yeah. Will there be snow soon? I've never really seen snow like that before." Kankuro smiled.

"Yes. It should be quite the sight. I just hope it's not as cold as the stories tell." Gaara shivered.

"And it'll be a great way to test our new invention in person. I'd say a win-win. Alright, expect the Sand Siblings to be there." Temari smiled.

"Great. I'll see you guys in a week." Shika kissed the blond woman and waved goodbye before he entered the Teleportation Room and returned home.

…

About two days before the festival, the villagers put up the decorations and prepared for their first Winter Cherry Blossom Festival. Like everyone else, Shikamaru was busy working with Tsunade, Kakashi, and Naruto on documents, training, and the festival preparations. The last few days felt like blur as they flew by. Luckily, the festival would soon be here and Shikamaru can cross this task off his list. A sudden knock on the door caused everyone to stop and look at the guard that entered the room.

"For give the intrusion, Lady Fifth, but we have visitors arriving via the Teleportation Room."

"Hm. I wonder who it is. I don't remember receiving word of visitors." Tsunade questioned.

"It's probably Lord Gaara and the Sand Siblings. I invited them to our First Winter Cherry Blossom Festival on your behalf." Shikamaru answered with his hands in his pockets.

"Ah excellent, Shikamaru. Always ahead of the game. Come, let's all greet our guests." She said as she led them to the Teleportation Room.

…

"Welcome, Lord Gaara of Suna." Tsunade smiled.

"Gaara! It's awesome to see you!" Naruto shouted as he rushed passed everyone and hugged his friend.

"It's good to see you too, Naruto." Gaara chuckled.

"It's just like Naruto to bear hug a Kage without consequences." Temari smirked before kissing Shikamaru. "Hey you."

"Hey. Glad you three could make it." Shika blushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks for the invite, bro-in-law!" Kankuro grinned as he threw his arm around the deer's neck.

"Yes. I've only ever seen snow when I visited the Land of Iron. I'm very interested in how it looks in the Hidden Leaf, especially with the festival occurring." Gaara said.

"Lord Gaara, would you do the honors of explaining to these three about your new invention?" Shika asked.

"Oh? Suna has a new invention to share?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes. It's a new form of communication between our nations. If you would, I'd like to complete a demonstration in your office."

"Of course. Please follow us." Tsunade said as she led them out of the room.

But when Temari followed, she felt someone grab her arm. She turned around to see Shikamaru smirking at her.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't we be following them?"

"Naw. Your bothers will keep them occupied, and I'm not really interested in new tech anyways. But I am hungry, so why don't we get out of here and get lunch?" He smirked as he held his arm out to her.

"Hn. If I didn't know who you were, I'd say that it almost sounded romantic." She blushed and smiled as she grabbed his arm. "Lead the way."

…

The two of them snuck off to a nearby restaurant for lunch. But they had to stop at a clothing store to better equip Temari for the colder weather. However, it still wasn't enough to keep her teeth from chattering.

"How do people stand this weather? I'm freezing!" She practically screamed as she tightly hugged herself.

"C'mon. It's not that cold yet."

"It get's colder?! Why do you like living here." She whined.

Shikamaru threw his head back as he laughed at Temari. She glared at him until he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. "Just bear with me, we're almost to my apartment."

"We're not going back to the Hokage Tower?"

"Naw. Like I said earlier, they don't need us there. They'll just catch me up when I go to work tomorrow."

"And when is this festival again?" She asked.

"In two days. Which reminds me. We need to get you an outfit for the festival."

"There's a dress code?"

"Not necessarily, but I figured you would want to look your best. Maybe you can ask Sakura and the other girls for advice on what to wear. I'll even leave you some money to buy an outfit." He said as he approached his apartment door.

"You don't have to do that, Shika." She blushed.

"I want to do it. It'll be my treat." They shrugged off their winter clothing and sandals. "What would you like to do now? We could watch tv?"

"Actually, I'm a little tired. Wanna just go to bed early?"

"Sure. I'll take a shower first, and then I'll meet you in the bedroom. Cool?" She nods as she gets her stuff ready. "Do you want me to leave out some sleep clothes for you, or did you bring yours?"

She smirks before turning away from him. "You already know the answer to that, hun."

"Of course. What was I thinking."

…

After Shikamaru took a quick shower, as promised, he left a large shirt a pair of his boxers for Temari. The deer man sighed as he laid onto his bed with his arms behind his head. He relaxed his face as his dark eyes stared into the ceiling. So much happened in the past few months that it left most peoples' heads spinning. Although four world wars occurred, this was the first one in about a decade or so. It was also Shikamaru's first. And with his father gone, he had to navigate life without at least one of his mentors. Sure, he still had Asuma-sensei. But that man had his own family and life to rebuild after his own tragedy. Both men had to learn how to continue their life after their own struggles, why was he any different? Suddenly, two fingers running along his brow line brought him out of his thoughts.

"You must have been thinking about something intense. Your brows were pressed together again." Temari giggled as she as leaned above him.

"Yeah. You could say that." He sighed again.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked as she sat on the bed by the headboard.

"I'm not sure if there's anything to talk about." He shrugged as he lifted his upper body for her to sit behind him.

"C'mon. You know that I know you better than that, Shika. And you and I both know that you always feel better after you let it off your chest." She smirked as she situated herself.

Once she was comfortable, he scooted downwards and laid his head in her lap. He sighed as he felt her untangle his hair from the ponytail holder and ran her fingers through his thick locks.

"How are you holding up after the war?" He suddenly asked as his eyes remained closed.

"What do you mean?"

"Without thinking about it, just answer my question: how are you holding up after the war?"

She didn't answer right way, doing the complete opposite of what he asked her to do. "Fine, I guess. Well, not entirely. I'm still a little shaky from everything. I still have… nightmares from some of the things I saw and the people we lost. But I couldn't let it affect me om the outside. I had to be strong for my brothers. Even though Gaara wasn't hurt nearly as badly as the other Kages, Naruto, and other shinobi, I still worry about him; Kankuro too. They're my little brothers after all, and I am one of his most trusted advisors. Why do you ask? How are you holding up? I know things were tough the first few weeks."

"I would say about the same. Sometimes, when I finally get a moment to breathe, I can feel my hands trembling. Losing my father and some of my comrades wasn't like something I'd ever experience. You have to remember that Ino and Choji were two of my most common teammates. Sure, I've worked with Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Team Guy, and some of the other Konoha 11 on other missions, but we've always made it back. The only other two times I've ever felt this way was when I led the Sasuke Retrieval mission and when we faced the Akatsuki members that almost killed Asuma-sensei. Of course, the Fourth Shinobi World War tops both of those." He chuckled.

"And let's not forget that you're going to be the advisor to three Hokages around this time too. That's a lot of responsibility. Thank the gods that you're smart."

"Ha-ha. Very funny. You should perform some of your jokes at the festival." He chuckled as he reached up for her hands.

"Shikamaru, do you remember what we talked about before the war? You promised me that we'd talk about what we both wanted after the war. You and I have a lot going on right now. Maybe we can hold off on having that conversation?" She hesitated.

"Are you sure? I don't mind having it if you want. I could use the distraction anyway."

She shook her head. "I'm not quite sure that I'm ready to have it yet. Don't get me wrong, I know what I want. I've… given it a lot of thought, and I'm fairly confident in my decision. However, I still need a little more time to decide if I'm ready to take the next step in our relationship. I mean what is left for us anyway?"

"Well, assuming that you decide to not leave me, the next couple steps for us would be to officially mate, move in together, maybe start a family if you want, and live the rest of our lives together. Again, if that's what you want." He said as he looked into her teal eyes.

"What… would you say if I said I might not be ready for all of that? What if I wanted to take time for myself for a little bit before I was tied down? Would you be upset?" She asked as she swallowed a lump in her throat.

"No. I would never be upset for you telling me how you feel. In fact, I'd prefer you tell me before we did anything you or I may regret. Temari, you already know how I feel about you. Hell, I've been courting, well dating, you for almost four years now. I think I can wait a little longer for you to be sure of us. I don't want to pressure you into something just because I want it."

"Hn. Blunt as ever." She smiled before leaning down and kissing his lips. "Thank you."

He reached around and grabbed her waist with a large smile. "Anytime."

…

The next day, Shikamaru and Temari didn't see each other until they went to sleep. Shikamaru practically stayed at the office with Tsunade, Kakashi, and Naruto for the entire day. Temari worked with Gaara and Kankuro on the new communication device until later into midafternoon. Luckily their efforts paid off and the new communication device was a success. They took time to plan out when they would set up the other communication devices in the other nations before they went their separate ways. Gaara snuck off to spend time with Neji while Kankuro searched for Shino and hopefully Tenten. And since Shikamaru had to work late, Temari had to entertain herself.

Fortunately, a pink-haired bunny and a platinum-blond pig kept helped with that. Most of their day was filled with shopping, eating, drinking, and enjoying each other's company. And, although she would never admit it, Temari enjoyed her time spent with her fellow kunoichi. Growing up, she didn't have many friends, especially after Gaara's birth. Because of the cruelty and abuse from her father, Temari was under constant watch. The only people that interacted with her were her mother, Kankuro, two young girls named Sen and Yome, a young boy named Daimaru, and her father on occasion.

Being the oldest of the three siblings, she was the first candidate for the One-Tailed Beast. However, neither her nor Kankuro were a match which left her father disappointed and even more unemotional towards the two siblings. To their mother and their relief, since neither were a match, they could hopefully life normal lives despite their father being the cruel Kazekage. At least, that's what they thought until Gaara was born. Because he was a match for ShuKaku, their lives only became hell.

Their mother, the only true female loving connection she made had died during Gaara's birth. And their father because more of an abusive asshole. Being the oldest. Temari did her best to protect her younger brothers, especially Gaara, by being daddy's favorite. However, it wasn't enough to keep Gaara from turning into the monster their father created. And, when their father died, things only got worse. Luckily, thanks to Naruto during the Chunin Exams four years ago, Gaara was saved, and she had her little brother back. Temari will forever be grateful to the heroic blond fox. Things started looking up from there.

She met and started dating Shikamaru, she gained an important role within her brother's council, she became one of the strongest kunoichi in the Suna, and now she was a survivor of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Despite her tragic past, Temari grew into a beautiful and powerful young kunoichi with her whole life ahead of her. And now, she found herself making more friends every time she visited the Hidden Leaf and within her own village. Yes, she was happy to know that she was finally living the life she dreamed. And things only got better with the day of the Winter Cherry Blossom Festival finally here.

Because they were so tried, both Shikamaru and Temari slept in for a short while before she finally woke up. Quietly, she snuck out of bed, trying not to wake up Shikamaru, and made her way into the kitchen. By time she cooked breakfast, her favorite deer woke up and waited for his food.

"Here you. I made your favorite: grilled mackerel with kelp." She smiled as she served his plate.

"I'm impressed. What's the occasion?" He asked as he ate.

"I mean, it is the first Winter Cherry Blossom Festival. I have to say that I'm a little excited."

"Hn. I never would have pegged you for someone into festivals like this, especially with how much you complained about the cold these past few days." He teased.

"Although I don't care for the cold weather, I still like to get out and enjoy things around me. Give me some credit here, hun." She smirked as she leaned towards him.

"Hn. Then I take it you found an outfit then?"

"Yes actually. Sakura and Ino helped me."

"That's great. Then they must have given you a lot of layers. I heard it's gonna snow today." He smirked as she swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Yes, they did. And don't worry, I'm prepared for it. I'll show you that a little cold weather is no challenge for a wind user like me." She stated proudly.

"Alright then. That's great because that means that you'll be fine with outside with me almost all day. Lady Tsunade put me in charge of making sure that everything goes well for at least the beginning of the festival." He practically laughed when her mouth and eyes widened. "Great breakfast, Tem. Why don't I take care of the dishes while you get dressed, I know it'll take you longer." And that's where he left her as she thought about just how strong against the cold Konoha weather she truly was.

…

As Shikamaru said, it took Temari the longest to get dressed, but it was worth it. She brushed her hair back into two side spiked ponytails with her usual bangs and side part. Her cheeks were dusted with a light pink blush, she wore soft pink glitter lip-gloss, and sandy brown eye shadow. Her kimono had a few thick layers underneath with traditional socks and sandals. The outside design was an overall olive-green color with brown and gold designs, and a while weasel towards the bottom and matching obi. To keep her warm, she wore thick white fur around the collar. Shikamaru wore similar colors in his yukata except his was olive-green and white with a brown deer design and brown fur around his yukata's collar.

When he first saw her in her new outfit, Shikamaru couldn't help the smile on his as he stepped towards her. "You look… amazing."

"Thank you. You clean up well yourself."

She followed him out of his apartment and waited or him to lock the door before he held out his arm for her.

…

The majority of the morning, as Shikamaru promised, was spent walking around the village and making sure that the decorations were set up correctly. By the end of the first hour and a half, Temari shivered but kept her composure. However, it wasn't fooling the deer boy. They got into an argument when he suggested going inside a tea shop to get out of the cold and to warm her up. She flat out refused and said that she could tough it out. Shikamaru wasn't having it, but his logic was no match for her stubbornness, so they continued onward.

About hour two, he couldn't stand it anymore and decided to outsmart her. He told her that he had to check on something in a nearby teashop which she followed without question. Shikamaru told her to grab a table and wait for him while he talked to the staff. After a while, he returned with two cups of green tea and a snack.

"What's this? I thought you were just checking on something here?" She asked.

"I did. I wanted to check out their new green tea recipe and grab a snack. Is that a problem?"

"Hn. So, this has nothing to do with our argument from earlier?" She said with her eyebrow raised.

"Not at all, but I can see why you think that." He smirked.

"Hn. You're as conniving as you are cute."

"I'll take your compliment with a sip of tea. And after we warm up a bit, we can finish off the rest of our walk. It won't take too much longer."

…

As promised, they stated in the tea shop for about half an hour or so before they continued. And, like Shikamaru said, it didn't take them much longer before they were finally done. They headed to the Hokage tower where Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Iruka, Naruto, and Sasuke were waiting for them in their equally matching outfits. A bright blush appeared on both their cheeks when Tsunade and Naruto teased them about how cute they were together.

Afterwards, they all walked together towards the top of the tower and stood beside Tsunade, Kakashi, and Naruto made their sperate speeches. Tsunade reminded the villagers that her time as Kage was almost at an end, Kakashi gave a welcomed and honored speech, and Naruto gave the closing speech where he vowed to always protect the village and looking forward to his time to become Hokage. All three were heartfelt speeches, and the added emotion from the crowd made Temari feel the love and raw emotion.

After the important parts of the festival were done, Shikamaru led Temari into the crowed to enjoy the festivities. There were several games and prizes to play. Shikamaru managed to win her a stuffed animal during one of the games. They tried various different foods from different vendors. There were even some vendors from other villages that traveled to the Hidden Leaf for the festival. They eventually met up with some of their friends and spent the rest of the day spending time together. It was unlike anything Temari had ever experienced. Not only did she have her brothers with her, but her new friends too. It was almost magical.

"Hey guys look! It's snowing!" Hinata laughed as she held onto her newly healed puppy.

"Incredible." Lee gasped.

Temari held her hand out and smiled as the cold snowflakes disappeared onto her somewhat warm skin. "I don't get to see snow very often. But when I do, it always seems magical."

"Oh, that's right, there isn't snow in Suna, huh?' Ino asked.

"No. It is too hot for snow to fall. However, it does get dangerously cold if you're caught in the desert without the proper equipment." Gaara explained.

"Oh man that suck. I love the snow!" Naruto cheered.

"Yeah, until I make you take a bath because you're usually muddy too." Sasuke smirked.

"Hey! That's not funny! We all can't be neat freaks like you, Sasuke!"

"I agree with Naruto. Muds good for the skin and fur, after all." Kiba said.

"Yeah, but I think that normal people tend to take more than one bath a week, guys." Sakura giggled.

""""You're so mean, Sakura-chan." Naruto whined.

Everyone laughed as they continued to tease each other on their way to other food and game vendors. They spent the remainder of the festival engaging in activities, trying to show off, eating, drinking, playing games, enjoying the blossoming Winter Cherry Blossoms, and enjoying each other's company. And since it was wintertime, the sun set earlier.

It was about 6 o'clock when fireworks were set off in the distance. Everyone turned around and watched the amazing display as reds, blues, yellows, whites, etc. filled the sky and fizzled out one after the other. It was truly a beautiful site and a magical night. Temari didn't want it to end. In fact, she didn't want any of this to end. She didn't want to lose this feeling. She didn't want to lose her new friends. She didn't want to lose her family. And she didn't want to lose Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"I want… to be with you…" She blushed.

"You are with me, silly." He chuckled as he turned to look at her.

"No, I mean… I want to be with you… in every way…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "I want to wake up with you. I want to go to sleep with you. I want to be there every night when you come home from work, even if it's late. I want to eat almost every meal with you. I want to experience life with you. I want to be with our friends here too. I want to be with you… always."

"What about your brothers?"

"They'll be fine without me. Besides they don't need their big sister around to watch over them. They're living their own lives. I think it's time I start living mine… with you… if you'll let me."

A gentle smile spread over his face as he cupped her cheek and pulled her closer. Just as their lips touched, another firework shot off into the distance and lit up the sky, but they didn't notice. Instead, their world only consisted of themselves. Their lips moved causally together, but each could feel the love flow between them. Tomorrow they will work out the details and break the news to her Gaara and Kankuro. But for now, nothing else mattered as the fire works went off, a gentle breeze blew around them, and Winter Cherry Blossoms fell around them; making their moment nothing short of magical.